The present invention relates to an ink container for retaining ink to be supplied to a recording head, and a manufacturing method of the ink container, wherein an air venting structure is improved.
In the field of the ink jet recording, a cartridge having an integral recording head portion and ink container containing the ink to be supplied thereto, and a cartridge having separable recording head and ink container, are known. In the ink container for the cartridge, the use is made with ink retentivity of an ink absorbing material accommodated in the entire space therein, and is balanced with the meniscus ejection outlet of the recording head to accomplish balanced ink supply.
In such an ink container generally, the ambience gasses (air) are introduced into the ink container, corresponding to the ink being supply out. That is, the region having the ink is replace with the air. Smooth introduction of the air is one of important factors to stabilize the ink to the recording head. Therefore, the air vent for introducing the air is one of important constituent-elements, for the ink container. The above-described air vent constitutes the communication state with the ambience by opening the inside of the ink container to the outside (ambience). However, the provision of the air vent results in the problems that components of the ink accommodated therein are evaporated or that the ink leaks out of the container through the air vent upon unexpected shock or abrupt ambient condition change.
As a countermeasure, Japanese Laid Open Patent Application No. HEI-4-144755 propose that a distance of a fluid communication path for communicating an inside opening of the ink container and an outside opening, is increased, or that the fluid communication path is bent in a complicated manner, or that the communication passage is divided into a plurality of chambers.
With such a structure, the outside opening of the air vent line of the ink container is directed upwardly in use to avoid the leakage, or the outside opening is disposed at a level above the inside opening, or they are at least same level, in many cases.
In one type of ink containers; it is detachably mountably connected relative to the recording head, and they are integrally mounted so that they scan the recording medium in the recording region in a main-scanning direction. During the main-scanning motion of the carriage, the foreign matter or paper dust are scattered. If this occurs, the paper dust or the like may enter the air vent of the ink container carried on the carriage, or in the case of long term non-use period, the dust may be deposited.
In such a case, the satisfactory introduction of the air into the ink container is no longer expected, with the result that the ink supply performance is affected.
In order to increase the amount of the ink which the ink container can retain, an ink container has been proposed wherein the inside space is divided into two parts, one of which is provided with an ink supply port for supplying the ink out and contains an ink absorbing material, and the other of which contains substantially only the ink. The ink is replenished into the ink absorbing material chamber from the ink accommodating chamber through a communication port at the bottom. In the ink container, in order to prevent the leakage through the air vent, the air vent 6 is provided at a position as remotest as possible position from the ink supply portion. In FIG. 1 example, the air vent is provided above the ink supply port, and inside opening and the outside opening of the air vent take substantially the same level when it is mounted to the apparatus.
In this structure, the air enters the ink accommodating chamber side with consumption of the ink with the recording operation. The results in the formation of the ink layer and the air layer in the ink accommodating chamber. When the change, of the ambience, for example a rise of the temperature, occurs, the air layer is expanded to push the ink into the absorbing material accommodating chamber, and the air is released through the air vent. When the temperature lowers, the air is taken into the absorbing material accommodating chamber through the air vent. Under the circumstances having paper dust, the paper dust is relatively easily taken in by the air vent when the air is introduced. If the paper dust is accumulated into the fluid communication path, the ambience communication is not properly effected, with the result that the ink supply property may be deteriorated.
On the other hand, the fluid communication path of the air vent, is preferably longer from the standpoint of suppression effect against the evaporation of the ink. However, if the ink is introduced into the air vent path or line, the ink in the long line stays unless the ink moves to the outside opening of the air venting line. Then, the viscosity increase and fixing of the ink may occur in the fluid communication path with the result of plugging the fluid communication path, and therefore, the deterioration of the ink supply property.
Recently, the downsizing of the ink jet apparatus is enhanced, and in addition, a color printing ink jet apparatus is demanded. For such an ink container, the long air vent path is desired, too, but the use of such a complicated structure is not always easy.
From the standpoint of desirability of recycling, the injection of ink into an used ink container is desired. After the refill of the ink, the proper ink supply operation is to be performed.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an ink container and a manufacturing method of the ink container, wherein the structure of the air vent line influential to the supply performance of the ink is improved to permit stable introduction of the air.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink container comprising: an ink absorbing material accommodating chamber for accommodating an ink absorbing material for retaining ink to be supplied to a recording head; an ink supply opening connectable with the recording head to supply the ink to the recording head from the accommodating chamber; an air vent portion for fluid communication between the accommodating chamber with ambience; wherein the air vent portion has an inside opening in fluid communication with an inside of the accommodating chamber, an outside opening open to the ambience, and a fluid communication path in fluid communication with the inside opening and outside opening; wherein the outside opening takes, when the container is mounted on an apparatus with which it is usable, a position lower than that taken by the inside opening.
It has been found preferable that a trapping portion is provided in an air venting line.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink container for containing ink to be supplied to an ink jet head exchangeably mounted to an ink jet apparatus, comprising: a body for containing the ink; a partition wall for dividing an inside of the ink container into first and second chambers; wherein the first chamber has an ink supplying portion and an air vent portion and contains an ink absorbing material; wherein the second chamber contains the ink; a communicating portion, formed between the partition wall and a bottom surface of the container, for fluid communication between the first and second chambers; wherein the air vent portion comprises an inside opening which opens to an inside of the ink container, an outside opening which opens to ambience, a fluid communication path for fluid communication between the inside opening and the outside opening, and a cover for constituting the fluid communication path, wherein the outside opening takes, when the container is mounted to the apparatus, a position lower than that of the inside opening.
It is preferable that the air vent portion is disposed on a side of the container which has the ink supply opening.
It is preferable that the inside opening of the air vent portion is disposed on a side of the container different from a side having the ink supply opening, the outside opening is disposed on a side of the container different from a side having the ink supply opening and different from a side having the inside opening.
It is preferable that the outside opening of the air vent portion takes, when the container is mounted to the apparatus, a position lower than that of electrical contact portion for electric connection with the recording head.
It is preferable that the outside opening of the air vent portion opens downwardly.
It is preferable that the fluid communication path has a cross-sectional area which gradually increases toward the outside opening adjacent to the outside opening.
The present invention is suitably applicable to an ink container which is divided into two spaces which communicate through a communicating opening, and one of which is provided with the ink supply opening and contains a ink absorption member.
It is preferable that the air vent path has a region where the flow path resistance changes.
It is preferable that the outside opening is provided by a recess extending in a width direction of the ink container, and the portion is in fluid communication with the recess.
It is preferable that the outside opening takes a position above a bottom surface of the ink containers.
It is preferable that there is provided an ink accommodating portion for accommodating ink, which is in fluid communication with the ink absorbing material accommodating portion through a communication port.
With such structures, the paper dust or foreign matter are not easily introduced through the air vent, so that the clogging of the air vent is easily prevented.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a manufacturing method for an ink container mountable to an ink jet apparatus, comprising the steps of: providing a main body of an ink container having an ink supply port and an air vent, wherein the air vent has an inside opening which opens to an inside of the ink container, a groove, functioning as an outside opening, extended from the inside opening, and a wall provided except for a region functioning as the outside opening around the groove; providing a seal member for sealing the ink supply port and the air vent; positioning the seal member corresponding to the ink supply port and air vent of the main body; collapsing the wall through the seal member by welding horn; thus providing a cover by the wall above the groove to form a fluid communication path for fluid communication between the inside opening and said outside opening and simultaneously to weld the seal member by heat.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sealing method for an ink container having a front side, a rear side, a bottom side, an upper side and two lateral sides, and having an ink supply port for supplying ink to a recording head portion and an air vent for fluid communication between an inside of of the ink container and ambience, comprising: mounting a seal member on a first one of the sides and on a second one of the sides continuous with the first side, the seal member having a width larger than a width of the first and second sides; inwardly folding the seal member beyond the width of the first side; outwardly folding the seal member beyond the width of the second side; mounting by heat sealing the inwardly folded seal member to a side of a packaging bladder for accommodating the ink container.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ink cartridge comprising: a main body for containing ink and provided with an ink supply port and an air vent; a seal member removably mounted on a surface of the ink cartridge, the seal member having a first sealing portion for sealing the ink supply port and a second sealing portion for sealing the air vent; wherein the seal member has an operating portion to receive separation force for removing the seal member, the seal member has a plurality of mounted portions on sides of a main body of the ink cartridge, and wherein the first sealing portion is disposed closer to a mounted portion which forms a smaller angle relative to a direction of separation than the second sealing portion.
With this method, a covering is provided by the wall to permit simultaneous formation of the fluid communication path between the inside opening and the outside wall and the welding of the seal member.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.